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Official: Stars fire GM Joe Nieuwendyk

2012 NHL Entry Draft - Round One

PITTSBURGH, PA - JUNE 22: Dallas Stars general manager Joe Nieuwendyk speaks during Round One of the 2012 NHL Entry Draft at Consol Energy Center on June 22, 2012 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

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What was just a report last night is now official.

The Dallas Stars have fired Joe Nieuwendyk as the team’s general manager after four years in the role. It’s believed Detroit Red Wings assistant GM Jim Nill will be hired to fill the position. Nieuwendyk’s contract with the Stars was set to expire after next season.

Nieuwendyk was hired in May of 2009 and while he’s made some shrewd moves during his tenure, he’ll likely be remembered by NHL fans as the guy who lost out on a pair of deals with the Pittsburgh Penguins.

The trade that sent James Neal and Matt Niskanen to the Pens for Alex Goligoski now lives in infamy after Neal became a monster goal scorer alongside Evgeni Malkin while Niskanen emerged as one of their more consistent defenders. Goligoski has done well in Dallas, but the others’ performances turned the deal into a lopsided one.

Brenden Morrow’s performance in Pittsburgh this season is also not helping Nieuwendyk’s image as an executive while helping Pens GM Ray Shero look like a wizard.

Now it’ll likely be up to Nill to figure out how best to surround guys like Jamie Benn in Texas.